Mix wood, glass, some experimentation and an ability to open a space almost completely to the outdoors, and what do you get? A little pitter patter from me, for sure.
Check out this gorgeous Community Rowing boathouse by Anmahian Winton in Boston. I love that the entire building opens up to create a pavilion of sorts, but in a nontraditional way.
In a blissful mix of form and function, many of the buildings components lead two lives: louvers add an experiential aspect while shielding windows and vents, glass shingles display the boats inside while providing ventilation, and giant accordion doors serve their function while creating a monumental entry point.
The hinging of the accordion doors is reflected in the angled side panels, which creates a brilliant lighting effect on the interior. I’m not quite sure what the cantilevered walks are for, but I like them. In a way, they feel completely disjointed from the building, as though they’re just floating next to them like hovercrafts. But there’s something I like in that.
Although the wave pattern in the louvers is a bit too literal for my taste, I do enjoy the light patterning on the interior. I also think it looks wonderfully textural from afar.
And, for those of you in the field: if you ever encounter a client that needs to be convinced that design really does matter, take note of this. Apparently membership at Community Rowing as doubled since the building opened.
[ via ArchDaily | images via ArchDaily, Anmahian Winton Architects ]
P.S. Be sure to check out the photographer, Peter Vanderwarker’s site for some additional thrills. The images of this project just melt my heart. Even labradoodles appreciate good architecture.
Oh, Australia/New Zealand/Tasmania… You have my design heart. Your work has none of the pretenses that American and European designs have. Your architecture is warm and rich, elegantly textured and oh-so-inviting on the glossy pages of my magazines. Alas, we are a world apart, my dear. I try to rid my mind of thoughts of you, but I simply cannot.
And here you are, Indeco, adding more fuel to the fire. Your deceivingly simple shapes, the rich materiality… It’s just too much.
I wish I knew how to quit you…
[ all images via Indeco ]
I frequently come across items that aren’t quite worthy of a full post, but I still want to mention. So I created a twitter account. Hop on over and check it out!
And, if you happen to be on twitter, give me a shout at @theinfomancer.
I am not a fan of the starchitects. I find them to be irritating, using the same schtick over and over. Recently, ArchDaily posted the finalists from a competition in the Hague for a new dance / music center, and I was amazed to find myself enjoying a proposal from Zaha Hadid.
This submission is the first project from Hadid’s office that I have not strongly disliked. As I usually find, though, upon closer inspection, the details tend to fall apart for me. The facade is a wonderfully textural experience. But I am not a fan of the interior. Hadid’s schtick seems to be to constantly disorient overwhelm people. I appreciate that they managed dial it back a bit here, but the interior is back to the same old tricks. And the theaters appear to be from Star Trek TNG.
I like the model and some of the renderings from Diller Scofidio + Renfro / Solid Objectives / Idenburg L. But I did find some of the design moves to be a bit frivolous.
As Peter Griffin would say, some of the submissions really grind my gears. The Aedas Limited submission feels a bit like brutalist revival, though their interior renderings are a bit more subtle. Cruz y Ortiz made a big box with bubbles. De architecten Cie / KPMB Architects apparently made a mountain out of a molehill and then slapped a building around it. Henning Larsen / Grontmij’s proposal looks more like a children’s museum with a death star inside. Neutelings Riedijk / Kirkegaard made an entire wall of boxes for Statler and Waldorf. And OMA… well let’s just say it looks decidedly OMA-ish.
The Ian Simpson / Jonkman Klinkhamer submission is my favorite. It’s not overpowering, and has a well-choreographed interior organization. It doesn’t feel schticky in the least. It feels like a design concept that has been thought out and massaged into something that will work well for the users.
[ images via ArchDaily ]
My latest obsession is electricity-free gadgets that will still work in the event of an apocalypse and utter destruction of the electricity grid. In the event the apocalypse should come in 2012 and I survive, I think I should be at my most alert state in order to determine how best to survive. To achieve this, I will need caffeine.
Now, I’m not a coffee drinker – my caffeine source of choice is tea. But my girlfriend is a coffee drinker. And when we survive the apocalypse, I want her to be alert and non-cranky as well (Is there anything worse than waking up in a nuclear winter with a cranky girlfriend? Probably not).
So, I’ve been checking out manual coffee grinders. The tried and true box grinders and hoppers (such as the Zassenhaus walnut closed hopper above) are cute, but not really my style. For those of you who like the vintage look for yourselves, this site seems to have a regular selection of vintage coffee hand mills.
Here are a few that are bit closer to my aesthetic:
[images via Moritasse, Red Rooster, Amazon, Sweet Maria’s]
Thoughtful material expression can be so utterly gorgeous. Check out these pieces from Rosendahl – simple details that give just the right amount of edge to the products.
This Grand Cru oak cutting board is beautiful. I love the little thumb notch for ease of carrying.
I also really like the simplicity of this beer glass. The glass isn’t overly thick. There is just enough of a rim on the glass to prevent small spills after every sip. And the shape is designed well enough to give the beer room to breathe (or whatever it does. I’m not a beer drinker), without being overly designed.
And how could you not love these monkeys!? Look at that belly, that smile. Made of teak and limba, I’m sure they get a fine patina with age.
This rocking horse is simple and well designed. It would look perfect in any budding aesthete’s room.
Find your local dealer here.
[all images via Rosendahl]
